Mid Ohio Sporting Goods is hard to find, but worth the trip

By Kevin Lynch Staff Writer

Saturday

May 11, 2019 at 12:01 AM

MILLERSBURG — Mid Ohio Sporting Goods, located at 8447 Township Road 652, between Mount Hope, Fredericksburg and Winesburg, may not be the easiest store to find, but is well worth the trip if you are looking for outdoor supplies.

"We carry the basics of what you’re going to need for hunting and fishing," said store owner/operator Sam Mast. "Be it deer hunting, coyote hunting, rabbit, squirrel, whatever, we try to carry a little bit of everything.

"We’re off the beaten path a little bit, but we try to make sure we’ve got everything a sportsman could want," he added. "We may not have the best line in everything, but we’re able to get you catching whatever it is you’re looking to catch."

Mast says his niche is on the side of walleye fishing.

"I really enjoy walleye fishing, but I don’t get out more than four or six times a year," he said. "I’ve got more than 200 different colors of banded walleye deep lures alone. I’ve got banded deep, banded shallow and several other styles to choose from."

They also carry the weights that go with the rigs and lures. Mid Ohio Sporting Goods pours its own custom-molded lead heads.

"I haul Amish all over, so I that’s how I know where to find this store," Dan Welty said. "The guy I brought today was shopping for some walleye fishing supplies for this spring on Lake Erie. Most of the guys I haul shop here. The price generally seems to be lower. Same quality, just lower price."

"If somebody comes in here looking for something that I don’t have, I can usually order it for them," Mast said. "I’ve got my suppliers, and when we figure out what somebody wants, if we don’t have it here, we can get them what they want."

In fishing equipment, Mast says the St. Croix rods are among the higher value items, but they carry a full line of fishing equipment, including Denali, Grant, Shemano, Berkley, Tenwick, Shakespeare and Akuma.

"We try to have something for every different fishing technique or whatever somebody might be doing," Mast said. "We try to keep all our bases covered.

"I haven’t got much in electronics, but this spring we’re going to be adding a GPS fish finder," Mast said. "We’re going to offer installation and setup, sales and service. As far as setting up, we’re talking about the parameters on the GPS system and fish finder to where it’s user friendly, and be sure that everything works."

The store carries bows and muzzle loaders and other hunting supplies.

"In the compound bow, I’ve got Bo-tek, Diamond and X-pedition, and they’re all great bow lines," Mast said. "The Diamond line is more of a price point line, while Bo-Tek and X-pedition are upper end bows. X-pedition is a newer company that should be looked at some more. I’ve been shooting that bow now for two years, and I love it. It’s a great shooting bow."